Google’s New Wi-fi Router Sleek, But Has A Few Hiccups

Most people don’t think about their home Wi-Fi router unless they are (A) installing it, or (B) undergoing severe digital withdrawal because the Internet is down and they need to hit reset. The Mountain View tech giant designed OnHub to be proudly displayed out in the open next to your kid’s photos, not hidden in a dark, dusty spot under a desk. [...] if you are looking to upgrade a worn-out device, Google’s first entry into the router race is a compelling choice. With both companies battling for an early lead in the emerging market for smart-home devices, having a router that’s the center of it all could become a key beachhead. With the Android version of the app, OnHub syncs to your phone, emitting an audio tone that signals the unique device identification code pasted at the bottom of the router. The OnHub doesn’t look like most comparable routers, which have unsightly antennas poking in all directions like an alien robot crab. [...] it’s more like the $199 Airport Extreme, which also hides antennas inside its 6.6-inch tall body and can also be controlled with a mobile app. OnHub uses both the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz frequency bands, with six antennas for each band arranged in a circle to keep adjusting for the fastest speeds throughout the house. The 13th antenna, toward the front of the router, uses a heat sink curved like a satellite dish to reflect one 2.4 GHz signal farther than the others so you can cover a larger area. [...] you can designate someone else to monitor the network, which could be useful if you have a family member who always calls you for tech support. [...] Google might have plans to turn OnHub into something like the Amazon Echo, a $180 smart-home device that uses voice recognition to control your music, read weather reports or audio books aloud and search for sports scores.